P a tatf



- (No Model,

' -A.POTTER'. UFTING MACHINE.

No. 592,167. Patented 00. .19, 1897.-

I F 16 if m: NORRIS PETERS no wuraumo" WASNINGTON, a. c.

. NrTED STATES.

PATENT Fries,

EDWARD A POTTER, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

TUFTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 592,167, dated October19, 1897.

' Application filed October 10, 1896. Serial No. 608,506. (No model.)Patented in Canada November 2, 1896,11'0. 53,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD ALBERT Por- TER, of the city of Toronto, inthecounty of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Tufting-Machines, (for which Ihave obtained Letters Patent in Canada, No. 53,926, dated November 2,1896;) and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

The object of the invention is to produce a machine by means of whichall classes of upholstering work may be rapidly and easily plaited andbuttoned by unskilled labor; and the invention consists, essentially, ofaseries of plait-formers arranged to form a succession of dies onparallel and successive alinements, the sides of the plait-formers beingset at an inclination to the base of the machine, so as to form theplait, and a series of tuft-formers set one at each corner of each ofthe dies to form an indentation for the button, the whole device beinghereinafter more fully set forth, and more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of thecomplete apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a section of the presser-plate. vationof Fig. 2 on the line a: 00.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout thespecification and drawings.

A represents the base'of the tufting-machine, Which may be madeof woodor other material suitable for the purpose.

B B and B 13 represent the plait-formers, arranged at an incline to thebase. The plait-' formers B are arranged diagonally across the base Afrom right to left, while the plaitformers B are arranged across thebase A from left to right. The plait-formers B B are arranged onparallel and successive alinements and at equidistant intervals fromeach other. The plait-formers B B are similarly arranged, the sameinterval existing between the plait-formers B B as exists between theplait-formers B B. The plait-foriners B B intersect the plait-formers BB at regular intervals and form the dies 0.

To produce the fullness in the plait, asen i-- circular recess D is cutin the middle of each Fig. 3 is a part sectional eleof the plait-formersB B, the curve of the upper part of the recess D being convexed orcurved into the top of the plait-former, so that the recess might bestyled concavoconvex.

E represents a series of posts, one set at each corner of each of thedies 0. The posts E are connected to the plait-formers B B, which arepreferably made in sections equal in length to the length of the sidesof the dies 0. The plait-formers and posts or tuft-formers arepreferably constructed of metal, in order that they will better resistthe wear and tear placed upon them and make a better-defined plait andtuft than if made of wood or coarsermaterial. In the top of each of theposts or tuft-formers E is a hole or recess F, to receive a pin G.

The use of the machine is as follows: The goods are first marked out tothe required fullness, the shape formed on the goods corresponding withthe shape of the dies. The

' goods are then set face down on the dies and the pins are insertedthrough the corners of the intersecting lines, marking the fullness,into the sockets or holesin the top of the posts or tuft-formers, thesepins holding the goods securely in position. The stuffing is then filledinto the goods in the dies until the dies are filled. The pins are thenremoved and the goods are glued at the tops of the tuft-formers orposts; The lining is then placed over the goods and stuffing, and apresser H isplaced on the top of the lining to press the lining firmlyagainst the goods, in order that the goods and lining will be properlyglued together, the upholstered work being permitted to stand untilthoroughly dry, after which it is removed from the machine and finished.After being removed from the machine indentations will be found for thebuttons where the goods rested on the tops of posts or tuft-formers. Thebuttons are then sewed to the goods Where the indentations occur and thework is then turned out as finished. By means of this machine anunskilled girl canjturn out finished upholstered work in a manner equalto the best skilled labor,

- with greater rapidity and ease and at a much smaller cost.

I do not make any claim to any particular size or shape of the dies, asI may make use of any shape, size, or style that I find suitable for thework.

The advantage of the centrally-recessed plait-formers may be explainedas follows;

v The material constituting the covering of the upholstering is placedin position over the dies and is suffioiently loose to permit its beingpressed into the molds and held temporarily by the removable pins. Thestuffing is then pressed or pounded into the molds until the latter arefilled, as shown in Fig. 3, when the pins are removed and a backingcoated with glue is laid on, the cover and backing touching each otherat the tops of the posts, thus uniting them at these points. Thesemicircular recesses in the middle of each of the'plait-formers permitthe formation of projected portions or enlargements in the pads of theupholstered surface, and said plait-forniers deepen or depress theplaits at and near the points where they cross each other. Thus theproduct of the apparatus instead of presenting well-defined creasesextending from one button to another, as would result it the top edgesof the plait-formers presented a straight horizontal edge, have thecentral portions between the buttons bulged out or of convex form, therebeing substantially no creasing except at the portions of the padslocated adjacent to the buttons, in imitation of handwork, and henceincreasing the cushioningsurfaee.

The tops of the posts extend beyond the width of the formers l3, andthus indent or mark the goods for the location of the buttons.

The inclination of the formers B B from the perpendicular results in theformation of plait-s which are sloped or inclined from the face of thefinished upholstering, as distinguished from a plaitat right angles tothe said finished face, and hence the plait is more completelyoverlapped by the adjacent bulging portions of the material to concealany defects in the work.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tufting-maehine, consisting of a series of successive dies, eachcomprised of a series of plait-formers arranged to form the plaits andrecessed at their upper edges, and a series of tuft-formers to form theindentations for the buttons, substantially as specified.

2. A tufting-machine consisting of a base, a series of successive diesmounted on the base, each die comprised of a series of plaitformersrecessed at their upper edges and arranged to form the requisite shapeand set at an inclination to the base, a tuft-former set at each cornerof each die to form an indentation for the button, and a series of pinsadapted to be inserted into the tops of the tuft-formers, substantiallyas specified.

3. A tufting-machine consisting of a base, a series of successive diesmounted on the base, each die comprised of a series ofcentrally-recessed plait-formcrs arranged to form the requisite shapeand set at an inclination to the base, a tuft-former set at each cornerof each die to form an indentation for the button, a series of removablepins adapted to be inserted into the tops of the tuft-formers, and apresser-plate adapted to be supported by the tuft-former, substantiallyas specified.

Toronto, October 1, 1896.

C. II. RIcHEs, M. A, Wnsrwoon.

